Before boarding, after passing all the checkpoints, if I have time to think
— because airports are indeed bustling with shopping opportunities
— I am generally accompanied by an employee from the assistance desk to the boarding gate, where I take precautions against any unpleasant surprises by arriving well before the actual boarding process begins.
My guide leaves me there, reassuring me that they will return before boarding, telling me to stay calm.
Smiling, I say okay, thank you, but in my mind, I think: What if you don’t come back? After all, experience is the best teacher. 😊
No, I have never been left at the airport, but it was close.
About fifteen minutes later, the attendant returns to inform me that my flight will be delayed by approximately 15-20 minutes.
I respond, “Okay, that’s fine,” although it wouldn’t have made a difference if it wasn’t. It just gave me a chance to prepare emotionally, knowing that the 15-20 minutes might turn into an hour or so. 😊
This gave me more time to think.
What would be an efficient and accessible way to disseminate such information, so that the information desk employee could save the 5-10 minutes it took to come to me, navigating through checkpoints, etc.?
I came up with a few options:
1. **Public Announcement System**:
The delay could be announced over the speakers, just like boarding starts or reminders not to leave bags unattended. 😊
I imagine the information might also be displayed on a board, but that wouldn’t help me, though I hope the display was accessible for other categories of people.
2. **Mobile Alert**:
Or perhaps we could receive an alert on our phone. This would provide immediate and personal notification without needing to physically locate each passenger.
This was one of the happy cases where the assistant came to inform me, but how much stress and emotion have I accumulated during travels when I wasn’t informed about a delay? I don’t even want to remember.
How do you feel when you think you are at the correct boarding gate, the departure time is approaching, and there’s no movement around? Especially when you see that tens of minutes have passed since you were supposed to fly?
It’s quiet, you have no information, don’t you start thinking: maybe I’m at the wrong gate… maybe I mixed up the times… maybe… maybe… 😊
I also think about, maybe the attendant forgot about me. 😊
Generally, I’ve dealt with responsible employees, but in any situation, there are exceptions that prove the rule.
Besides a more efficient method of information dissemination that doesn’t require the attendant to walk to me, it seems useful to be able to somehow contact them.
What if an emergency comes up while I’m left waiting? There are needs that can’t wait tens of minutes, or worse, hours. 😊
How do you think information should be communicated in airports so that it reaches all types of travelers?
I’m waiting for your comments!
#Accessibility_is_not_a_luxury – is a way to avoid stress and another reason to feel calm and safe, even during a journey.
